HIGH CAPACITY DISK PATCH Version 5.3 (DEMO) 10/11/2008 Copyright (C) 2003-2008 By Rudolph R. Loew The High Capacity Disk Patch Program patches Windows 98/98SE/ME to provide direct support for Hard Drives larger than 137GB without requiring a controller card or the Intel Application Accelerator which can only be used with some Intel Chipset Motherboards. The Patch installs support for the 48-Bit LBA addressing mode required for Hard Drives larger than 137GB. IMPORTANT: SEE WARNING ABOUT 145GB LIMIT FOR DEMO VERSION BELOW. This patch updates the standard IDE controller (ESDI_506.PDR in the Windows SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS Directory). If you are using a controller card such as the Promise Card included with some Maxtor or Western Digital drives, this Patch will not affect drives connected to the Card(s). If you have installed the Intel Application Accelerator, this driver may no longer be used and the Patch is not needed and may not have any effect. SATA drives may or may not be supported depending on configuration. NOTE: Some documentation and utilities use a different definition of Gigabytes (GB) based on powers of 2. The 28-Bit addressing limit using this definition is 128GB. REQUIREMENTS Windows 95 Release 2 (See Windows 95 Below) Windows 98, 98SE or ME (See WINDOWS ME Section Below if using Windows ME) Motherboard IDE and/or SATA Controller recognized by the Default ESDI_506.PDR Port Driver. Customized SATA .INF files are required, contact author for further information BIOS support for hard drives >137GB (48-Bit LBA) or A Windows Compatible Boot Manager that supports hard drives >137GB A Mini Boot Manager is now available from Rudolph R. Loew WARNING: Some BIOSes have defective support for 48-Bit LBA. Rearranging Drives may cause a previously working system to fail. Verify support using 48BITLBA.EXE for all Drive arrangements you plan to use. In particular, VIA EPIA BIOSes before 07/05 may claim to support 48-Bit LBA, and will show the full size of the Drive, but will not actually support the Drive if it is not the Primary Master. Users of VIA EPIA motherboards should contact the Author to obtain a Patched BIOS if needed. BIOS SUPPORT VERIFICATION The 48BITLBA program tests your Computer's support for Large Hard Drives. You will need at least one Hard Drive larger than 137GB connected to either of the IDE connectors on your Motherboard. Run the Program from DOS, not a DOS Box, to verify BIOS, or Boot Manager, support for Large Hard Drives. A "48-BIT Support Verified" message should be displayed next to the Large Hard Drive's Number and Size Report. Otherwise your BIOS may not support Large Hard Drives. If you get a "Last 28 Bit Sector Unsupported" message, your BIOS or Boot Manager has a bug making it incompatible with your Hard Drive. WARNING: Some BIOSes have defective support for 48-Bit LBA. Rearranging Drives may cause 48-Bit LBA support to fail. Verify support with all Drive arrangements you plan to use. In particular, there are some BIOSes that only support 48-Bit LBA on the MASTER Drive on the PRIMARY IDE Bus. DRIVER USAGE VERIFICATION The DISKDVR Program scans the Registry and displays the Port Driver being used by Windows for each IDE Bus and it's associated Info (.INF) file. This Program must be run from Windows. The Port Driver used for each IDE Bus that will be used with Large Hard Drives must be ESDI_506.PDR for the Patch to work. This is the Windows Default Port Driver. If you have loaded other IDE Drivers, Windows may no longer use the ESDI_506.PDR Port Driver. If the Port driver is reported as INTELATA.MPD, the Intel Application Accelerator is controlling that IDE Bus. The Intel Application Accelerator must be uninstalled before using the High Capacity Disk Patch. If the Port driver is reported as VIADSK.MPD, the IDE Bus is being controlled by a VIA MiniPort Driver. The June 2003 version of the VIA MiniPort Driver, the latest version as of this release, is not compatible with some Hard Drives and cannot be easily removed. A Patched version of the MiniPort Driver is available, please contact Author for further information. If any other Port Driver is reported, please contact the Author for further information. NOTE: Running DISKDVR +ALL will display all Hard Disk Controllers (hdc) in the Registry. This includes many USB Drives. Running DISKDVR -SCSI will display all SCSI Disk Controllers (SCSIAdapter) in the Registry.. PATCH INSTALLATION Windows ME users should read the WINDOWS ME Section Below before Installing. 1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location. Do not UnZip the Program to the C:\ Directory if you do not want the AUTOEXEC.BAT File to be replaced. 2. Open a MS-DOS Box (Windows 98 or 98SE Only) or Boot into DOS. WARNING Do not Install the Patch from Windows ME. Boot from DOS or Windows ME SAFE MODE. 3. Go to the Directory where the program is located. 4. Run PATCH137 to install the patch. 5. The Patch will take effect the next time Windows is Booted. AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION (Windows 98 and 98SE Only) This method can be used when installing Windows 98 or 98SE or after installation to Install or Verify the Patch on each Reboot. 1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location. 2. Copy the PATCH137.EXE to C:\PATCH137.EXE 3. If there is no C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or it is empty, copy the supplied UnZipped AUTOEXEC.BAT to C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. 4. If you already have a C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, add the following line to it: C:\PATCH137.EXE -V Do not use LOADHIGH or LH with this program, it is not needed. See the AUTOMATIC VERIFICATION AND UPDATE Section below if you wish to put the PATCH137.EXE Program in a different Folder. WARNING: If the Patch Program ever interrupts the Boot Sequence and reports an error. It is STRONGLY recommended that you do NOT press ENTER to Continue if you have already defined Partitions extending above the 137GB limit on any Drive. You should Press RESET to Reboot the Computer and either use a Boot Floppy or the "Command Prompt Only" from the Windows Startup Menu until the problem is resolved. WINDOWS 95 Support for Windows 95 has been added in Version 5,1. Author has not tested Windows 95 Support and Microsoft claims that Windows 95 does not support more than 32GB. Test the Patch using this Demo Version before purchasing the Full Version. Contact Author for further information. Use this Patch with Windows 95 at your own risk. It is strongly recommended that you update your Disk Driver up to Version 4.00.1116 or later before installing the Demo Patch. The upgrade to Version 4.00.1116 is available from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/171353/EN-US/ WINDOWS ME Windows ME contains a number of changes that affect the Installation and Verification of the High Capacity Disk Patch. Windows ME does not use the AUTOEXEC.BAT file during boot so Automatic Installation and Verification cannot be performed. Commands placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file will be ignored. Microsoft added a function called "System File Protection" (SFP) that prevents changes to System files including the ESDI_506.PDR file Patched by the High Capacity Disk Patch. This function cannot be disabled. If any file protected by SFP is changed, SFP will replace it with the old version a few seconds later without any warning or indication. The Patch can only be Installed from DOS, not a DOS Box, or from SAFE MODE where SFP is not active. The Patch can be Uninstalled in Windows but a Reinstallation will be lost. To stop SFP from protecting the ESDI_506.PDR file, perform the following steps: 1. Boot from DOS 2. Edit the FILELIST.XML file in the Windows SYSTEM\RESTORE folder. 3. Remove the lines referring to the FILELIST.XML and ESDI_506.PDR files. 4. Save the updated file. Windows ME has a new feature called "System Restore" which allows changes to be rolled back. If you use System Restore to rollback before the Patch was installed, you will lose the Patch and risk corruption. WINDOWS SUPPORT VERIFICATION The 48BITLBA Program can be run from Windows, in a DOS Box, to verify proper operation of the Patch after you have installed it. NOTE: If you just installed or upgraded the Patch, you must reboot before performing this test. If you have existing data on your Hard Drive above the 137GB limit there is a very small chance that Windows might access sector 268435456 which is temporarily modified during the test. To eliminate this possibility, run the command as follows: 48BITLBA -LOCK NOTE: If your DOS Box is displayed as a Window, running this Program with the -LOCK option will force the DOS Box to Full Screen Mode and you will have to reset the Screen Mode from the DOS Box's Properties to return to Window Mode. If some of your Hard Drives are not displayed, you can increase the range of Physical Drives that the Program will scan by specifying the number of Drives to scan as follows: 48BITLBA ### Where ### is the number of Drives to scan (1 to 127). The 48BITLBA Program will first test each drive for High Capacity Disk Patch support. If verified, an appropriate message will be printed. Then the 48BITLBA Program will test the drive for 48-Bit LBA support and report the results. The High Capacity Disk Patch Support Test requires that the 48BITLBA Program and the High Capacity Disk Patch use the same signature. This version uses a different signature than previous versions. Mixing different versions can prevent the 48BITLBA Program from verifying support. If you get a "Last 28 Bit Sector Unsupported" message, Windows is using a Driver that supports 48-Bit LBA but has a bug making it incompatible with your Hard Drive. UNINSTALL PATCH (See WARNING Section Below) 1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location (if necessary). 2. Open a MS-DOS Box or Boot into DOS. 3. Go to the Directory where the program is located. 4. Run PATCH137. 5. Type Yes to the Uninstall request to uninstall the patch. 6. Remove the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file or the line in it that invokes the PATCH137 Program if you are using the Automatic Installation/Verification Mode of the Program. WARNING THIS DEMO VERSION MUST NOT BE USED TO READ OR WRITE DATA ABOVE 145GB, OR IN A COMPUTER CONTAINING PARTITIONS THAT EXTEND BEYOND 145GB, AS CORRUPTION WILL OCCUR. SOME UTILITIES, SUCH AS FDISK, REPORT DISK SIZES USING A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF "GIGABYTE". THE 137GB LIMIT MAY BE REPORTED AS 128GB. THE DEMO LIMIT, WHEN USING SUCH A PROGRAM IS 136GB. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR DATA LOSS TO OCCUR DUE TO ERRORS IN THE PATCH OR IF THE PATCHED DRIVER IS BYPASSED OR OVERWRITTEN. DO NOT USE IN CRITICAL SYSTEMS OR WHERE HUMAN SAFETY IS INVOLVED. Please E-Mail any Bug Reports to RLoew@hotmail.com. If you install a Windows update that replaces the ESDI_506.PDR file or uninstalls the Patch, and have Partitions defined that extend above the 137GB limit there is a possibility of data loss anywhere on that drive. This is due to a flaw in the original version of the ESDI_506.PDR file that misinterprets sectors above the 137GB limit as being sectors below it. Since Microsoft has decided not to add large disk support to any Windows before 2000, any updates are likely to have the same flaw. If in doubt, rerun the PATCH137 Program BEFORE allowing Windows to Reboot and Answer NO to the Uninstall Request if it appears. If the Computer Reboots before you can run the Program, make it boot in Safe Mode, apply the Patch and Reboot again. See the AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section above for instructions to setup Windows to have the Patch Verified and Reinstalled (if necessary) on each boot. Installing this Patch on a Computer without BIOS Support for large drives is not recommended. The Patch is bypassed if Windows disables the Driver or if Windows is in Safe Mode. In either case, the BIOS may cause data loss if it mishandles sectors above the 137GB limit as does the Microsoft Driver. A bad shutdown will trigger SCANDISK which is very likely to corrupt your Hard Disk. Usage with a Disk Manager other than BOOTMAN (See Below) may or may not work. Proper operation in Windows Mode is uncertain and may corrupt your system. Installing this Patch on Windows NT, 2000, or XP has not been tested and may corrupt your Hard Drive. If you are installing Windows in a system which has partitions on any drive extending above the 137GB limit you must apply the Patch after Windows installs it's unpatched driver but before it tries to use it. If you are installing Windows 98 or 98SE, see the AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section Steps 1-3 above. If you are installing Windows ME, use the alternate method described in the NEW WINDOWS INSTALLATION section below for instructions. OPTIONS The Program automatically examines the Computer to locate the Driver File. The Program can be redirected to Patch a specific File by specifying a FileName as follows: PATCH137 MYDRIVER.PDR The Drive File is renamed to provide a Backup File before the Patched Driver File is written. The Backup File has the same name as the Driver File but the extension is changed to .bak provided the FileName has an extension. If not, a .bak extension is added. If an earlier Version of the Patch is found, it is replaced with the new Version. The Backup File is used to create the new Patch so it must be present. The Patched Driver File is deleted and the Backup File is renamed back if the Patch is Uninstalled. If the Backup File is not present, the Patch cannot be Uninstalled. The INSTALL/VERIFY mode is specified by adding "-V" (ex. PATCH137 -V). The Program will verify if the Patch is present or not. If present, the Program will print a report and exit. If not, the Program will attempt to Install the Patch. If successful, the Program will print a report and exit. If not, the Program will print a failure report and wait until you press ENTER or you REBOOT the Computer (Strongly recommened). HARD DRIVE SIZE LIMITS The High Capacity Disk Patch provides support for Hard Drives up to the 32 Bit Addressing Limit of 2199GB. Possible DOS, BIOS or Windows flaws may limit support to 1099GB or less. The Patch has been tested with Drives up to 400GB. Raw Disk access tools may have their own limits. Microsoft claims that FDISK is limited to 512GB. PARTITION SIZE LIMITS The size of individual Partitions are subject to additional limitations due to FileSystem design and Partition management tools. Microsoft specifies a maximum Partition size of 128GB. Third Party Partition Management tools may have other limits. DEFRAG and SCANDISK (in Windows Mode) are limited to less than 136.9GB Some people have reported limits as low as 127GB. DOS, WINDOWS and SCANDISK (in DOS Mode) can handle at least 400GB. WARNING: Diskeeper 10 claims to support Partitions up to 768GB and Windows 98/SE/ME. Tests show that it can corrupt large Partitions. It is recommended that you Partition your Large Hard Drive with 2 or more Partitions so that no single Primary or Logical Partition is larger than 127GB. FDISK can be used to Partition Large Hard Drives but will incorrectly report sizes above 64GB. You will need to enter sizes as Percentages in order to use the full capacity of the Hard Drive. The 128GB Version of FDISK from Microsoft is NOT recommended. Under some circumstances, it creates corrupt Partitions. NEW WINDOWS INSTALLATIONS If you are doing a clean install of Windows into a Computer where any of the drives has a partition extending above the 137GB limit you must install the Patch before Windows has a chance to use it's unpatched driver. Corruption may occur before you can complete the installation otherwise. If the Windows partition itself is above the 137GB limit it will DEFINTELY CRASH. The simplest way of installing the Patch on a new Installation of Windows 98 or 98SE is to place the instructions to patch the driver in the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT startup Batch File. See the AUTOMATIC PATCH INSTALLATION/VERIFICATION Section Steps 1-3 above for instructions. If you do not wish to install the Patch using the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or you are installing Windows ME, you can install the Patch using the following steps: 1. Place the Patch Program on a Bootable DOS Floppy Disk. 2. Perform the Windows installation until the FIRST reboot. Do not leave the Computer unattended in case Windows reboots without prompting. 3. Insert the Floppy Disk before Windows Reboots. If Windows Reboots without warning, insert the Floppy Disk as soon as the Screen goes Blank. Ignore any instructions to remove any Floppy Disks. 4. Let Windows Reboot the Computer if it doesn't Reboot automatically. 5. When DOS finishes Booting, run the Patch Program. If the Program cannot find the driver skip to Step 9. 6. Remove the Floppy Disk. 7. Press the Reset Button or CTRL-ALT-DEL. 8. Continue the Windows Installation. 9. If the driver was not found in Step 5, perform Steps 6 and 7, then repeat steps 2 thru 5 at the Second Windows Reboot. If the Program still cannot find the driver, you will have to look for the ESDI_506.PDR and use the Specific File option described above. DO NOT allow Windows to startup after the Second Reboot until the Patch has been Installed successfully. If you have a CD Burner or you install Windows from files placed on the hard drive, you can purchase a pre-patched Installation Cabinet File for your version of Windows. By replacing the original Cabinet File in the Installation CD or Folder you can installs Windows without further patching. This will not protect you if an update replaces the Patched driver or it is corrupted. WARNING: If you install Motherboard Drivers provided by the manufacturer of the Motherboard, you may disable the Patched Driver. Please contact the Motherboard manufacturer to insure any IDE, ATA or ATAPI Drivers they install are 48-Bit LBA compatible. You may also have the option to skip installation of these Drivers. Run the DISKDVR.EXE Program after installing the Drivers but BEFORE you reboot the Computer. You may have to choose the "Reboot Later" option if asked to Reboot to run the Program. If the DISKDVR.EXE Program reports that a Port Driver other than ESDI_506.PDR is now selected, you will have to uninstall it before rebooting unless you have verified that it supports Large Hard Drives. If you can't uninstall it, you will have to start the Windows Installation from scratch. MULTIPLE BOOT WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS The Patch is compatible with multiple boot systems. Each separate Windows 98/98SE/ME System must be Patched individually. All other Operating Systems must be 48-Bit LBA compatible to avoid corrupting the Windows 98/98SE/ME Systems and/or each other. WARNING: Installing an Operating System that is NOT 48-Bit LBA compatible into an existing system or one where Partitions, of any kind, cross or are above the 137GB limit risks causing corruption. This is true even if a 48-Bit LBA compatible Service Pack will be installed immediately after, or the Partition, the Operating System will be installed on, is entirely below the 137GB limit. Windows XP users must use a copy of XP with SP1 or later already incorporated. If you wish to install Windows XP Original Edition, you can contact the Author to purchase an upgrade kit that provides the necessary files. The rest of SP1 or SP2 can then be installed later. AUTOMATIC VERIFICATION AND UPDATE: (Windows 98 and 98SE Only) IMPORTANT: Do not use this method with Windows ME. The Program can be setup to automatically verify and repatch, if necessary, each time the computer is booted. This will prevent corruption if the Patch is overwritten by other software. Add the following line to your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file: X:\PATH\PATCH137.EXE -V Where X:\PATH is the Drive and Folder where the Program is located. If an unrecognized or corrupt driver is found, the Program will prevent Bootup from progressing to prevent possible corruption. WARNING: If the Patch Program ever interrupts the Boot Sequence and reports an error. It is STRONGLY recommended that you do NOT press ENTER to Continue if you have already defined Partitions extending above the 137GB limit on any Drive. You should Press RESET to Reboot the Computer and either use a Boot Floppy or the "Command Prompt Only" from the Windows Startup Menu until the problem is resolved. BOOTMAN BOOTMAN is a Mini Boot Manager designed to provide Large Hard Drive support for BIOSes that only support 137GB. It is compatible with DOS, Windows and the High Capacity Disk Patch. Please contact Rudolph R. Loew (See Below) for more information on this Product. RELATED PRODUCTS RFDISK Nondestructive partitioning Program with Large Disk support and support for multiple boot and selectable partition configurations. QFORMAT Quick formatter for FAT Partitions. SATA SATA .INF files for Chipset based SATA controllers PARTS Partition Mapper. WINXX.CAB Windows Cabinet File with Patch already applied. BIOS Large Disk Support Patches for Tyan S1590 Motherboard and others. EPIA Patched BIOSes to fix bug in VIA EPIA BIOSes from 01/02 thru 06/05. DOS Patches to DOS 6.2 to access drives larger than 8GB. XPPATCH Updates to Windows XP Original Edition to provide 48-Bit LBA support during installation. PATCHENC Patch to Support Encrypted Hard Drives. PATCH2TB Patch to Support Hard Drives larger than 2200GB (Beta). CONTACT INFORMATION Rudolph R. Loew 506 Bieling Rd. Elmont, NY 11003 1-516-352-9078 RLoew@hotmail.com Website: http://www.geocities.com/rloew IP = conference.no-ip.org PORT = 8192 (Conference Console)